The Chicago Sister Cities International Festival on Daley Plaza (June 2-6) will feature a full day dedicated to our Sister City in Birmingham, England on Thursday, June 5 as part of the “Celebrate Birmingham: Big City in the Heart of England” event. This weeklong celebration of Chicago’s Sister City in England takes place June 2-6, coinciding with the Chicago Sister Cities International Festival on Daley Plaza.
Visitors to Birmingham Day on Daley Plaza can watch performers who traveled to Chicago from England, as well as visit the official Birmingham tent on the Plaza. The day will kick off at noon with a flag raising ceremony followed by two exciting performances on the main stage.
12 – 12:30 p.m.: Flag Raising Ceremony with remarks from Councilor Summerfield and delegation. The ceremony will feature Thomas Kelly High School’s seventy-piece band, one of Chicago’s most respected and honored marching bands, led by Benjamin Craine. The band will be playing music by the English composer Sir Edward Elgar including his famous Pomp & Circumstance march.
12:30 – 1 p.m.: Kathak Dancers – Kathak is a classical dance form from South Asia, the national dance of Pakistan and is popular in Birmingham, England (who has a large Pakistani population). It is a partially narrative dance form characterized by fast footwork (tatkar), spins (chakkar) and innovative use of bhav in abhinaya. The name Kathak is derived from the Sanskrit word katha meaning story, and katthaka in Sanskrit means s/he who tells a story. The Kathak dancers are also performing with some Latin dancers to create a uniquely crafted fusion piece especially for this festival.
1:15 – 2 p.m.: Soweto Kinch Performance
Award winning alto-saxophonist and MC Soweto Kinch is one of the most exciting and versatile young musicians in both the British jazz and hip hop scenes. Undoubtedly, one of the few artists in either genre with a degree in Modern History from Oxford University, he has amassed an impressive list of accolades and awards on both sides of the Atlantic. Most recently he won his second MOBO Award in October 2007, at the O2 Arena, London where he was announced as the winner in the Best Jazz Act category.
The Birmingham tent at the festival will be open throughout the festival (June 2 -6) and will feature a character dressed as the British Police, popularly known as “bobbies.” British Bobby will be available for photos, and visitors can obtain their pictures by visiting www.visitbirmingham.com/chicago08
The Birmingham tent will also feature a juggler who will be dressed in Shakespearian costume to pay homage to Stratford-on-Avon, which is near Birmingham, England. There will also be a soccer demonstration with two coaches from the Chicago Fire soccer team from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 5 in a specially cordoned off area adjacent to the Birmingham tent.
CSCIP Title Sponsors include The Boeing Co. and United Airlines.
